Steven Purcell treated for breakdown after shock resignation from Glasgow City Council

DESPERATELY ill Steven Purcell was in a private clinic last night after an emotional breakdown that stunned Scottish politics.

DESPERATELY ill Steven Purcell was in a private clinic last night after an emotional breakdown that stunned Scottish politics.

Purcell - one of the most powerful figures in the country and tipped as a possible future First Minister - resigned as leader of Glasgow City Council yesterday.

He did it by phone as he was receiving treatment for stress and exhaustion at a clinic in the Borders.

In a statement issued through his lawyer, family members appealed for him to be "left in peace to recover".

Purcell's decision to quit- revealed in yesterday's Record - followed an emotional crisis at the weekend brought on by "stress and total exhaustion".

The resignation has plunged Scotland's biggest council into crisis and stunned political friends and foes who respected Purcell as one of the country's most able and dynamic leaders.

Signs of Purcell's health problems surfaced last Friday afternoon when he cancelled a number of appointments.

On Saturday, he told close aides at the council that he was considering standing down.

Family members and key colleagues, who feared he was facing a breakdown, visited Purcell, 37, at home that afternoon.

They thought they had persuaded him to seek help and save his career by making a frank statement about his health problems.

The statement was written. But on Monday, Purcell's lawyer contacted council chiefs to warn them against saying anything about his health. Council officials agreed.

Later that day, PR guru Jack Irvine was called in to handle the media.

He issued a short statement on Monday night, saying Purcell was receiving medical care for "stress" and "total exhaustion".

Yesterday, Purcell's lawyer claimed last week's expenses row over council-linked quango Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and the pressure of preparing for Glasgow's Commonwealth Games had taken their toll.

The lawyer said: "My client is resting and recovering from exhaustion in the care of professionals.

"Earlier this morning, Steven made the effort to telephone his resignation as leader of Glasgow City Council.

"Steven does this with a heavy heart.

But the strain of running one of the UK's largest authorities, combined with the added pressures of the Commonwealth Games planning and the controversy over Strathclyde Passenger Transport has just proved too much for a man who lived and breathed Glasgow 24 hours a day.

"It is now up to the Labour Group to decide what is the best way forward for their party and the people of Glasgow."

Yesterday, sources claimed Purcell had become frantic with worry that political rivals were plotting to expose details of his worsening health problems.

And they believe it was those fears that stretched his stress levels to breaking point.

The sources said they were hopeful Purcell could resume his duties as a councillor in three or four weeks.

And they claimed he could play a key part in choosing a long-term successor as council leader.

One friend said: "He knows where the bodies are buried. If he is back, he could have a massive say in who the new leader will be."

However, senior council sources dismissed the conspiracy theories and played down hopes of a speedy return to work as councillor for Drumchapel and Anniesland.

One said: "This is coming from Steven but it's not true. It's a sign of just how ill he is."

Almost all of Glasgow's 47 Labour councillors met at the City Chambers yesterday.

Councillor Jim Coleman was chosen as acting leader during a 15-minute meeting.

He said: "It was a great shock. We didn't know Stephen was under such pressure. All we can do is wish him a speedy recovery.

"It is very sad for Glasgow. Steven Purcell did a lot of good work for Glasgow.

"It shows the stress that people in these positions are under.

"My job here from today is to continue the good work he started and to make sure it is business as usual for Glasgow."

Other counci l sources also dismissed the claims that the SPT row and Games pressure were at the heart of Purcell's decision to quit.

One said: "They have nothing to do with it. His health problems run deeper than that."

Coleman will remain acting leader until a meeting of Labour councillors in May, probably after the general election.

A long-term successor is expected to be appointed after a leadership contest.

Gordon Matheson, the city treasurer, Paul Rooney, who runs education services, and Stephen Curran, chairman of Strathclyde Police Board, have been tipped as possible leaders.

Labour MSP and former Glasgow council leader Frank McAveety said: "I think people underestimate the pressures of a job running a city as big as Glasgow and trying to change things.

"I hope he can cope with the personal difficulties he is in. Hopefully, if he takes some time to recover, he can come back stronger. He's still got a lot to offer."

Purcell, who was born and raised in Yoker, Glasgow, was elected to the council in 1995. In 2006, he split up with his wife and came out as gay.

He was tipped as a future leader of the Scottish Labour Party and a possible First Minister, although it is believed his long-term ambitions lay at Westminster.

However, he put both options on the backburner in his determination to lead Glasgow to a successful Commonwealth Games. Purcell played a key role in bringing the games to the city.

As Labour leader of Scotland's biggest city, Purcell had frequent run-ins with the SNP administration in Edinburgh.

He described their decision to axe the Glasgow airport rail link as a "dagger through the heart" of the city. And he refused to pursue the SNP policy of cutting primary school class sizes, saying his own plans were better for kids.

Yesterday, a spokesman for Alex Salmond said Purcell's reasons for quitting were a "private matter".

But he added: "We would pay tribute to the contribution he has made to Glasgow, particularly the partnership that the Scottish government and Glasgow City Council have been involved in to secure the Commonwealth Games.

"The First Minister and Councillor Purcell have worked very effectively together in the best interests of Glasgow in the preparations that are well under way to ensure we have a fantastic games and a lasting legacy."